Anime Lectio: Jin-Roh

                                                             1. Why do Anime Lectio? 

Anime Lectio is a time for us to stop and take a breath. Between work, activities, family life, and social media, our minds are always moving. We rarely take time to contemplate and ask, why am I watching this anime? What’s the point of all this? And, how is this making me feel? 

2. Put away all distractions 

(phones, work, etc.)

We are so enslaved to things that stimulate our minds. Let this be a moment for us to free our minds, look inside of ourselves, and be at peace.

3. Deep Breathing

Take several deep breaths. Let your mind relax. If you’ve had any questions, desires, or struggles that you’ve been hiding or stuffing away, let them rise up to the surface. 

4. Open yourself to God’s Presence

Remember God places all our thoughts and desires inside of us, and He uses them to draw us closer to Himself. God gives us a community to help us understand who we are and what He is calling us to do. The faces of other people you know and don't know are like signs of God’s presence.  

5. Think About What’s on Your Mind in Relation to the Anime

Think about what’s been on your mind in relation to the anime.  The following is an example of such thoughts written by me.  

Different people have different ways of doing things. This is true for different people within one community or different people in opposing groups. These different people, whether they are people within one community or people in opposing groups, have their own reasons for being part of the group, but what matters is doing what the group wants and/or needs to do. However, having your own reasons for being part of the group can interfere with what the group ultimately wants and/or needs to do. There are other factors for this interference too, like individual thoughts based on individual actions and reactions.

6. Brief and written explanation of the anime

Pay attention to how the brief and written explanation of the anime seen on this blog, or seeing the anime for yourself since that's better than any explanation, might “speak” to you or shed light on the things that have been on your minds.

The anime movie Jin-Roh takes place in an alternate timeline where Germany occupied Japan instead of allying with them in World War II. This causes the rioting between the anti-government terrorists and the government seen at the beginning of the film. However, the important moment in the movie occurs when the main character, a policeman helping the government, comes across a young girl carrying a bomb to deliver to the terrorists. He is supposed to kill her, but he can't bring himself to do it, even though he knows he has to, but the girl detonates the bag, killing herself. The main character manages to survive, but he can't stop thinking about this incident as the film progresses. From his required police training as a result of this incident to the unusual friendship, and possible romantic relationship, that starts between him and the deceased girl's sister, he can't stop thinking about this incident. You can also read more about this film in the chapter about it in the book Anime Impact.

7.  Reflect on the anime

Has this brief and written explanation of the anime shed any light on what's been on your minds?  The following is an example of a reflection on the anime from me.

Besides addressing a what-if scenario, meaning what if the Germans occupied Japan instead of allying with them in World War II, Jin-Roh also asks an important question in the form of its main character. This important question occurs before the most important/influential scene in the movie. Before the young girl carrying a bomb to terrorists detonates it instead when she is caught by the police, the main character who couldn't bring himself to kill her simply says why before the bomb goes off. Why would she kill herself? Why didn't the main character kill her, especially since he knew he had to? Why would the sister of this deceased girl end up being friends, and even a possible love interest, with the man responsible for why her sister is dead? Why would the main character continue his police work if he had second thoughts about actually doing it? Why are other parts of this movie so important, like a retelling of the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood"? Asking yourself why, like why you do what you do, why certain things happen in your life, etc., is also important in understanding yourself and others, not just in understanding this movie.

8. Final Prayer

Please voice any prayer intentions for friends, family, or people around the world that relate to this anime.  The following is an example written by me.

Let us pray that we can understand the answer to the question of why depending on when we ask the question, as well as an understanding of our actions, like when we say one thing, but do another.